Any Remington 870 fans?

Yeah I'm a sucker for the 870's too. A 20 gauge Wingmaster with improved cylinder and vent rib barrel was the first long gun I owned in 1974 or so. Sadly, I sold it about 10 years later when I got married! But I do remember that I sold it for what I had paid for it new!

Since then I've owned half a dozen of them even though I rarely shoot them. Right now I've got 2 in 12 gauge. To me they're a timeless classic.
 
Valmet said:
I have four of them and they all get used regularly. Finest pump guns ever mfg'd IMO (pre-Freedom Group of course).
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The finest pump guns ever manufactured are the Winchester model 12,the Ithaca model 37 (JMB design) and the Remington model 31(JMB design). These guns were assembled from forgings and machined steel parts with real walnut stocks by REAL craftsmen. One of my mdl 12's is 107 years old and still going strong. My Win 1897 is older than that and I shoot it alot too.....You seldom to never see a "dead" Ithaca 37 or Rem 31........COST killed their manufacture except for Ithaca.

The 870 is a gun of the times. Full of plastic and stamped sheet metal parts. The older ones are better. QC on ANY NEW Remington isn't.
 
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Bought my 1st one in 1966 (at age 15) shortly after moving to Mississippi. Bought a 20 ga. for the wife for our 1st anniversary. Bought a Youth model to teach my son's how to wing shoot in the mid 80's.
Yea, I LIKE the Rem 870 Wingmaster!

WYT-P
Skyhunter
 
I have a few, and definitely like them!

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Apologies for the 1100 LH that sneaked its way into the bottom slot in the above two photos. :)

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Oh my God! I have 4 (out of the 6 I have owned over the years,) all walnut stocked Wingmasters. I have a 12, 20 28, and .410. I regularly shoot skeet with all 4, 5 stand with the 12 and 20, and my occasional round of trap with the 12. I tend not to hunt with them any more, but I killed a truckload of rabbits and grouse with the 20 in my youth, plus a few pheasants. That 20 was the first gun that was my own, a Christmas present in 1981. Mine was the old standard weight 20, built on the 12 gauge frame. But it is light enough. It truly is the last gun I would ever part with. It may go in the casket with me.

Curiously, I have managed to part with both of the 16 gauge Wingmasters I have owned over the years. That's odd, since I'm both a 16 gauge nut AND an 870 nut.

Its funny this thread appeared today. I'm currently loading 28 gauge skeet loads, and I was thinking that I might try the 28 gauge 870 on pheasants this fall. I hunt stocked/released birds, and shots are fairly close. I'm confident the 28 will be enough.

Here they are

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From left to right; .410 25" fixed MOD, 28 ga 25" with after market screw ins, 20 ga Standard Weight, 26 " fixed IC, 12 ga 26" with after market screw ins.

Actually, I mis spoke. The 28 gauge has a mahogany stock. Those early 70s field .410, 28, and lightweight 20s had mahogany stocks which were lighter than walnut.
 
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You know what I just remembered? Before the self containment all started, Saturday the 14th was the last day I shot skeet at our club. I shot 2 rounds with the 12 ga 870, and I ran a straight on the second round.
 
My dad passed away when I was 23 and I inherited his 870 Wingmaster 12 gauge with 28 inch modified plain barrel. My best friend who I have hunted with since college has always used the exact same gun except he also has a full choke barrel and we are now both 61 years old. We both also have other shotguns but we also both agree we shoot the best while hunting with our 870s.
 
I like the 870 Marine Magnum, I bought it back when I had to scrimp and save with new babies at home. Now I have to scrimp and save with those babies in college to and maybe some day - retire.
 

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So, I was always a Mossberg 500/590 kind of guy. My dad had a pistol grip 500 when I was about 10 to 12 years old. I thought it was the baddest thing; it even had a heat shield on it, Lol!
I had an Ithaca 37 16ga for about 20 years. Despite the fact I got it for Christmas when I was 10, I traded it away for almost nothing. I really wanted a Mossberg 12 ga.

I carried a Mossberg 590 in Afghanistan about 50% of the year. I came back and bought my own 500 8 plus 1 20".

I always thought the 870 to be overpriced and less of a gun than the Mossberg. Then I went to work for my current agency in 2016. Day two they give me an 870 with wood furniture. Chief tells me they bought them 1989ish. The 870 kind of grew on me some over the next three years to the point when we retired them I was one of the first to say I wanted to buy old Betsy. I like it more than I ever thought I would. Most likely the best $135 I ever spent.
It looks just like the short magazine tube version D Brown post.
D Brown said:
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In 1975 I bought an 18" 12ga. 870 Wingmaster to keep behind the desk of my newly opened Mercedes repair shop which was located in downtown Denver sort of on the border between nice downtown and not so nice downtown. I haven't shot it very much and it continues to do guard duty next to the bed some 45 years later.

Stu
 
In my area the 870 is without a doubt the most popular shotgun. Hunting is big here for waterfowl, pheasants, deer and turkey. The 870 Wingmaster or Express does them all. Any customer new to hunting I recommend the 870 express, just the best overall shotgun for the money.

I personally have a 20ga Exp youth model with both barrels.
The slug barrel is the cheap smooth bore, no scope, but has sent several whitetails to my freezer one of which was a 75-80 yard shot.
 
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If a quarter will pass thru the barrel ring on your gun it is NOT a lightweight and actually made on a 12 ga frame.
this info is handy when looking for extra barrels.
great guns in any gauge or finish!
Larry
 
Going back to my early days as a cop, we had Remington 870's and Ithaca 37's. Both are great shotguns.

Now nearly a half-century later I have two grown sons, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. It is very difficult for me to hang onto a good shotgun, a decent deer rifle, or a nice .22 rifle; they all seem to grow legs. I only have one shotgun left.

Remington 870 "Sportsman 12" model, late 1970's to early 1980's, 12-gauge 3", plain walnut stock, parkerized metal finish. Mine has the 21" barrel with Rem-Choke and ventilated rib. I added sling swivels and a leather sling. Amazingly versatile shotgun! Short enough for quick handling and with the IC choke tube it serves nicely for home duty. With the Mod choke tube it does very well for pheasants, quail, grouse, and handles steel shot for waterfowl. With the Hastings Extra Full choke tube it has won every turkey shoot I have taken it to, and for whoever happens to be shooting it (guys at my club now insist on one round in which everyone gets to use my shotgun, just to make it fair, and some of them are shooting high dollar custom trap guns!).

Not the prettiest shotgun around, but one that just does everything very well.
 
I like 870s, each of mine is configured differently for its intended purpose, from bird hunting to home protection. My old Wingmaster is sporting modern furniture (off one of the others) and the original stuff is stored away. Makes it more field use friendly. Had it for 48 years.
Wingmaster 12ga 2-3/4 chamber
Marine Magnum 3" Nickel W/ Choate sidefolder
Youth model 20ga
Police trade in 18" Magnum
Tactical 3" w/Knox stock
Express Laminate w/slug barrel
Extra rifled slug barrel


 
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